Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

The next time the wall wtreet journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

This blog will pay for itself.

Everybody saw this coming.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

T R E 4 5 O N

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

“But what about the lurkers?”

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

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Reader Interactions

149Comments

  1. 1.

    J.

    Dogs and cats getting along — a sure sign of the Apocalypse.

    Btw, I could swear that Tunch is bigger than Lily. Woof.

  9. 9.

    Ming

    Aaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww!

    that’s so cute I want it as a screensaver —

    thanks, Cole. and sorry about the shattered wing —

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Adorable photo. Next comes spooning, and finally the yin yang. I want every stage of this documented and posted.

    PS — sounds as though you may be feeling better. That’s good.

  15. 15.

    danimal

    At first, I thought “Lily is smaller than I thought…”

    Then I realized that using Tunch as a size reference is blatantly unfair to both.

  16. 16.

    beltane

    I had no idea Tunch was bigger than Lily; she doesn’t look so tiny in her solo pictures. In my experience, cats will sleep next to any source of heat they can find.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    Great picture. Somehow wanting to be left alone never includes your pets. At least not for me.

    I think this will be your worst pain day for awhile, John. I didn’t want to say anything when the conventional wisdom yesterday was that the second day is the worst, but my mom always said it hurts the most “the day after the day after”. I think she’s right.

    Of course, you also need to stay ahead of the pain. I’m sure you know that from all your training. I guess we’ll just have to leave it there.

  22. 22.

    danimal

    Moderation bait…

    It’s ironic that comments containing the word pen-is are moderated, but ads for Pen-isReductionPills inhabit the left column of this esteemed publication.

    BTW, I highly recommend this product. It has been very helpful.

  23. 23.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @danimal:

    BTW, I highly recommend this product. It has been very helpful.

    I tried em. Didn’t work for me :-)

    edit – although my head did shrink a little.

  27. 27.

    dr. bloor

    @JenJen:

    Dubya, POTUS and Big Dog on my teevee.

    Really striking–Obama speaking; Clinton stone still, listening respectfully; Dubya twitching, swaying, looking around and generally looking like he’s got mild brain damage.

    Which, of course, he does.

  28. 28.

    Rey

    @Jen Jen

    W looks like he is 90 year old. Now he is speaking, if this wasn’t such a sad occasion I would be laughing my ass off.

  31. 31.

    Rey

    Listening to W still makes me want to vomit. Gawd- how did we survive the last 8 years, Oh wait- we didn’t.

    Thank god for our POTUS Obama- a voice of calm….

  32. 32.

    dr. bloor

    @Rey:

    W looks like he is 90 year old. Now he is speaking, if this wasn’t such a sad occasion I would be laughing my ass off.

    Just in case there was any residual doubt that Cheney ran the country for eight years. W looks like a cross between Chance from Being There and Rupert from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

  36. 36.

    Elisabeth

    @JenJen:

    The differences in manners and social grace between them was stark, to say the least. Bush simply cannot look or sound presidential.

  38. 38.

    Rey

    @dr bloor

    That is a fitting description. W, the dirty rotten scoundrel was just that, There- a figure head, an empty figure head at best. I want to have some respect for him since he is a former POTUS but, it’s just so hard. I almost feel sorry for him though.

  39. 39.

    Nicole

    That photo is great. I love it!

    If someone finds a linky to the Bush/Clinton speeches, would you post it? I missed it (and, were it not for Balloon Juice would not have known it was happening at all. I’m useless on Saturdays).

  41. 41.

    Chat Noir

    After all the crummy news this week, a picture of Tunch and Lily napping together is a helpful salve.

  44. 44.

    eemom

    ooooooooooh ze doggie! and ze kitty!

    if y’all don’t hear from me any more, it will be because I am dead of a cute overdose.

  46. 46.

    KDP

    Why was I unable to edit my previous comment at 43? The timer indicated that I still had 2:30 left, but when I tried to save the edit, I received an error that I did not have permission to edit.

    Will try that exercise again with this one.

    This is a new edit to prior content. OK, then, third edit. I guess previous issue was caused by Web voodoo.

    Oh, right, previous attempted edit on #43 was to say:

    Sweet picture, so nice when the children get on well together.

  48. 48.

    Mike E

    Look at all that cat hair on that from just the last three days.

    When that busted wing gets fixed, looks like you’re gonna have lotsa pet yarn on your hands!

  49. 49.

    Leelee for Obama

    @KDP: Just WP Fail. Happens every now and then, to remind us all we mean nothing in WP universe. But, I’m not bitter, much!

    That photo makes me so happy. Cute Overload indeed. I can imagine how soft and fuzzy that made you feel. The two critters that enrich your life getting along so well they fall asleep next to each other. That’s trust, and you’re responsible for that. They know you love both of them so they can love each other. I understand the need to curl up with yourself, JC. That’s pretty much what I do when there’s something not right. If someone just drops off a cup of tea and something to eat every now and then, I’m happy. It let’s me concentrate on healing or getting over whatever is making me sick. Hope you are having a bit less pain and itching. That would make it easier to join the kids on the couch and get some rest!

    ETA-go to GOS and read the LTE that’s mentioned. It rawks! Couldn’t have written better, and I was trying.

  50. 50.

    Max

    My eyes are swelling just looking at the cat hair.

    Thank heavens for Max, the non-shedding wheaten.

    I have to put in a plug for Travelocity. I bought a ticket the other day and it was a red-eye flight from SFO, headed to Florida.

    Of course, I got the dates wrong, thinking 12:05am on a Weds was actually Weds night, when in fact, it is Weds. morning. Needless to say, this ticket would have put me in flight a day earlier than I need to be.

    Called Travelocity, they said no problem and cancelled the reservation without any charges. They are refunding my credit card and I just went on to book the same flights, just at 12:05 am on Thus morning.

    If I would have changed the flight, they would have charged me $150. No fees to cancel.

    Good business sense and I can’t believe how dumb I was for getting so confused.

  51. 51.

    Annie

    Best. Picture. Ever…..

    It seems they know John is hurt and in pain, so they are on their best behaviors.

  53. 53.

    trollhattan

    @16 beltane

    I had no idea Tunch was bigger than Lily; she doesn’t look so tiny in her solo pictures. In my experience, cats will sleep next to any source of heat they can find.

    Don’t be fooled. Lily began at twice the size but like a rogue highly dense star Tunch has been steadily pulling mass from Lily and adding it to himself. It’s part of the Tunch agenda of galactic domination. Also.

    The good news is that Cole will eventually be able to transport Lily in a man purse. (“It’s European!”)

  54. 54.

    JenJen

    @Max: I’ve always had really good experiences with Travelocity! For the Inauguration, I booked my room and paid the total months in advance with them. The night I arrived at the hotel, I checked my card balance (I used my debit card, something you need to be really, really careful about with a hotel) and noticed the hotel had again charged my card for the entire amount, nearly wiping out my account! So I’m thinking, great, I’m in DC for five days with no money because this is going to take days to fix. I called Travelocity at like 2 in the morning, mildly freaking out. They put me on hold, called down to the night auditor at the hotel, and in moments had the entire thing straightened out. Oh, and I forgot to mention… for my trouble, they gave me $100 off my next Travelocity booking.

    Whew. Glad you had a good experience too, Max!

  55. 55.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    I can’t believe how dumb I was for getting so confused

    Sounds to me like an easy mistake to make.

  57. 57.

    trollhattan

    @16 beltane

    I had no idea Tunch was bigger than Lily; she doesn’t look so tiny in her solo pictures. In my experience, cats will sleep next to any source of heat they can find.

    Don’t be fooled. Lily started at twice the size but like a rogue highly dense star, Tunch has been pulling mass from Lily as part of his goal of galactic domination. Also.

    The good news is Cole will soon be able to transport Lily in a man purse. (“It’s European!”)

  59. 59.

    Suicidal Zebra

    I’ve just realised, this set of circumstances would have made for a killer series of Garfield strips.

    In fact, John’s existence is starting to resemble the entire back-catalogue of Garfield strips. Except the guy drawing Garfield was told to act a bit more like a certain Mr Lecter.

  60. 60.

    WaterGirl

    @SGEW: I laughed when I saw your link. Of course I know what yin and yang are. I just don’t get what “the yin yang” would mean in that context: “Next comes spooning, and finally the yin yang”. It sounded like some kind of position to me. Sorry if that makes me an idiot. I will have to think twice about posting next time.

  61. 61.

    John Cole

    About a half hour ago I stubbed my toe and while reacting to that, I banged my shoulder on the wall. I yelled, crumpled to the floor, and just lay there in pain. Lily came over and licked my face and then lay across my neck with her body to protect me.

    Tunch sat there and stared, wondering if he was finally going to get to eat me.

    I love my little doggy. She doesn’t do tricks, she doesn’t fetch- all she does is love me and sit on my lap, and that is enough.

  65. 65.

    cliff

    @Nicole:
    http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/01/16/HP/R/28515/Pres+Obama+and+Fmr+Presidents+on+Haiti+Recovery+Efforts.aspx

    Pres. Obama and Fmr. Presidents on Haiti Recovery Efforts

    After meeting with Fmr. Pres. Clinton and G.W. Bush, Pres. Obama announced in the Rose Garden the two former leads would head up a new Haiti fundraising project. In times of crisis, “Americans have always come together to lend a hand, serve others, and do what’s right,” Obama said, flanked by the former presidents.

  68. 68.

    Leelee for Obama

    @John Cole: Cole-you have to stop injuring yourself! Lily will be exhausted from her ministrations and Tunch will possibly eat both of you! C’mon, Man! Take is easy already, wouldya?

  69. 69.

    John Cole

    I’m sitting down now. I ordered a gut bomb pizza and am watching sports or the White Collar marathon for the duration of the day until the NFL comes on.

  70. 70.

    jeffreyw

    @WaterGirl: I have at least one friend who is wont to say “up the ying yang” in contexts that that seem to indicate the phrase may interchange without any loss of meaning with “up the wazoo” or “where the sun don’t shine”. Other times the phrase is “out the ying yang” which means a surfeit.

  73. 73.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Wifey squeees, I haz a happy.

    @John Cole: Okay we’re nags. But after hearing about your mishap today it seems to be an apt concern. Please sit down and be lazy for as long as possible.

  75. 75.

    Max

    @John Cole: About 10 years ago, my father suffered a spinal cord injury from being thrown from a horse. Eventually, he was able to walk, well, shuffle, and he would fall down a lot.

    One day, while my mom was at work, my dad went out in the yard of their ranch in the middle of nowhere and fell. He couldn’t get back up and was forced to lay there for the day.

    His St Bernard watched over him and guarded him, not leaving his side for a second until my mom got home 5 hours later.

    My dad died two years ago and was buried on the ranch. His St Bernard died about 6 months ago. She’s buried outside the gate of his grave to protect him in the afterlife.

    Pets are amazing.

  76. 76.

    Badtux

    Y’know, I put all the Tunch pictures that have been posted here lately into one photo stream — the “Tunch is Watching You” picture, the “Obey” picture, and the “Feed Me” picture — look at this picture, and suddenly it all becomes clear. Big Brother in the Cole household is…. Tunch. Yes, Tunch! And clearly John Cole is playing the role of the overtaxed citizen who must empty out his pockets every day to Feed The Beast, which has grown to enormous proportions and taken over large swathes of turf he formerly claimed as his own. LARGE swathes, this picture shows ;)

    So now we finally have an explanation of why John was a conservative for so many years despite the clear intellectual bankruptcy of the movement he tried to defend through the first years of the Bush presidency — he thought society operated just like his personal household ;).

    – Badtux the Tunch-lovin’ Penguin

  79. 79.

    mr. whipple

    Tunch sat there and stared, wondering if he was finally going to get to eat me.

    LOL. That’s a cat. He probably wasn’t worried about eating you. Yet. More a concern that if you keep hurting yourself you won’t be able to open those cat food cans.

  80. 80.

    Chuck Butcher

    John, you call that pet hair? Gus is in the throws of his winter shed (he just does) and daily use of a mane rake only results in clumps of hair the size of a small horse shortly after filling 2 gal sacks of compacted hair from the brushing (raking?).

  81. 81.

    lamh31

    I’m looking to buy my first washer/dryer this weekend or next week. Does anyone who has a good front loader recommend a good brand for me? It would be great if you had it longer than 6 months…LOL

  83. 83.

    demkat620

    @lamh31: I just got a Kenmore Elite. It was what I could afford. I’ve heard good things about Samsung and Lg though.

    I am happy with it so far.

  84. 84.

    DonBelacquaDelPurgatorio

    Few years ago I bought a Dyson Animal vacuum, pretty close to the top of their line. Without doubt the best designed and most impressive home appliance I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them, and taken most of them apart and put them back together over the years because I like to be my own repairman. About the only thing I wont tackle is electric motors and compressor internals. But anyway.

    So, here’s this fabulous vacuum, and there I was running it through a 1400 square foot house. In one pass, it will fill up with cat hair. Absolutely stop the cyclonic dirt separator cold, packed like a furniture cushion with cat hair. Three cats, all of them shorthair and relatively low shedders. No thick undercoats in the bunch.

    Cats are just hair generators. Their bodies are designed mainly to turn tuna into hair, as near as I can figure.

  86. 86.

    mr. whipple

    I’m looking to buy my first washer/dryer this weekend or next week. Does anyone who has a good front loader recommend a good brand for me?

    Don’t know about front loaders, but we bought a FP washer a couple years back. Within a year the pump was dead.

    The repair guy said there’s no sense in buying an expensive washer or drier because they are all essentially crap these days, and the days of buying one that will last 20-30 years are long past.

  88. 88.

    Persia

    @mr. whipple: Yeah, we have a Kenmore and it’s lasted all right.

    Also, since this is an open-ish thread, I want to point out that Gordon Ramsay’s shows have pretty much the best food porn ever. I’ve been watching for ten minutes and I’m starving.

  89. 89.

    Robertdsc-iphone

    I have zero desire to work today but the picture of the pets picked me up a bit. Now I just have to make it through the next 6 hours.

  91. 91.

    mr. whipple

    @Persia:

    Our old Hotpoint washer finally died after 25 years, without a single repair.

    I don’t know if the repair guy was a crank or not, but it sure seems like there isn’t much made today built for durability as much as price/profit. Maybe I’m just as cranky as he is.

    GET OFF MY LAWN!

  92. 92.

    moe99

    My Kenmore front loader washer went bad this past year after less than 8 years of service. Sears made me wait an entire day and didn’t come out to service it–they are complete a**holes on service–would charge me a minimum of $200 even if they couldn’t fix the washer. And then to top it off, they didn’t have a new front loader that would match with the dryer on which the old one was perched (I had to put them on top of each other because of space issues). So I gave the finger to Sears and bought a new set at a local appliance store and they have been fabulous in their service and treatment of me. Worth the extra bucks, because I would’ve spent that amount on the Sears service call alone.

    Something to think about.

  94. 94.

    IndyLib

    @lamh31:
    I have had the Samsung combo for 11 monthes, I love them despite their weird little quirks.
    Washer
    Dryer

    You can’t wash only 1 thing in the washer, because it reads the load as unbalanced. The dryer has a sensor in it that will shut the dryer off when it thinks your clothes are dry, so you can’t mix heavy clothes like jeans with lighter things, like t-shirts, unless you set it for timed dry . And the wash cycles are really, really long for most options.
    These are obviously just little minor issues.
    I can’t say much yet about their durability or longevity, obviously.

  97. 97.

    gnomedad

    @John Cole:

    About a half hour ago I stubbed my toe and while reacting to that, I banged my shoulder on the wall. I yelled, crumpled to the floor, and just lay there in pain. Lily came over and licked my face and then lay across my neck with her body to protect me.

    I know it’s evil to give O.J. air time, but I’m beginning to imagine your household looks something like this. (If impatient, go to about 0:50.)

    For FSM’s sake, be careful, willya?

  99. 99.

    scudbucket

    @JenJen: I can’t quite get my head around how/why this is happening in Ma. She’s not a good candidate, but it seems like there is some anti-democrat stuff there as well. Nail-biter indeed.

  100. 100.

    RedKitten

    About a half hour ago I stubbed my toe and while reacting to that, I banged my shoulder on the wall. I yelled, crumpled to the floor, and just lay there in pain. Lily came over and licked my face and then lay across my neck with her body to protect me.
    Tunch sat there and stared, wondering if he was finally going to get to eat me.
    I love my little doggy. She doesn’t do tricks, she doesn’t fetch- all she does is love me and sit on my lap, and that is enough.

    Jaysus, John — that’s a lovely story about Lily, but be careful, wouldja? You’re starting to scare us.

  102. 102.

    lamh31

    So my grandmother told me to buy a top load washer, and a front load dryer.

    She said to buy the top load washer instead of the front loader, cause once you start the cycle on the front load washer, if for some reason you REALLY needed to stop the cycle you could not, once it starts, you can’t stop it. For example, if you load your clothes and start the cycle, then to your horror, you notice that the water is turning RED (you left a red pen or some other ink pin, or some other object in your pocket) and you’re washing clothes that are easily stained, then on the top loader, you can stop the cycle and maybe salvage your clothing, but obviously, with the front-loader, you wouldn’t be able to stop it, and your wash cycle has basically gone to shit.

    I thought this was an interesting thought…anyone agree.

    BTW, I know that ascetically, it wouldn’t be ideal, but I have a seperate closet in my apartment for my washer/dryer, so unless you are washing clothes, you ain’t gonna notice.

  104. 104.

    Spork

    To protect you? Wishful thinking. She was being territorial, and guarding the largest available food source.

  105. 105.

    Yutsano

    @lamh31: I have a mismatched washer/dryer set, as long as it does what you want it to who gives a rat’s ass if it matches or not? I agree with whoever said get a Neptune if you can (Maytag doesn’t make them anymore) though my mom has a matching Samsung set that she loves. She and my dad live on a ranch so no worries about the single item thing with them. As far as the door lock feature on the front loaders that’s true for at least part of the cycle then mine will unlock the door. It also tells you when the door is locked, so if that’s a concern make sure you get one that shows that.

  106. 106.

    licensed to kill time

    @smiley:

    Best, Satan
    __
    (The actual author is identified as Lily Coyle)

    Hmm, misspelling of Lily Cole? or coinkydink? YOU be the judge…

  107. 107.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lamh31 #79

    I’ve had my Kenmore washer and dryer for at least 15 years. As a rule I’m not a big Sears fan, but I do have a great loyalty to Kenmores.

  108. 108.

    MikeJ

    For example, if you load your clothes and start the cycle, then to your horror, you notice that the water is turning RED (you left a red pen or some other ink pin, or some other object in your pocket) and you’re washing clothes that are easily stained, then on the top loader, you can stop the cycle and maybe salvage your clothing, but obviously, with the front-loader, you wouldn’t be able to stop it, and your wash cycle has basically gone to shit.

    And with a top loader you wouldn’t notice at all because they tend to not have glass lids.

    You can always press the stop button on the front loader and it will drain you can open the door. Best bet is to read the manual for any appliance before you actually buy it.

  109. 109.

    KDP

    @John Cole: Ouch, ouch, ouch! So nice that you have Lily to protect you. In my experience, dogs and small children can always sense when their adults are distressed and do what they can to make it better. I remember watching the daughter of a friend stroke and pat her mother’s back when mom had become very upset while talking to her ex. All of the dogs that I know or have had respond similarly when their people were upset.

    View from my couch     (well, it’s actually my bed, but that’s where I study, so…)

    For those who may still be looking to donate to Haiti relief through Paypal, Paypal offers the following link on their main page to support Save the Children’s efforts in Haiti.

    @smiley: It is very funny, the only thing I thought was missing was a reference to an example.

    If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. Have you seen Dubai lately?

    Fixed.

    Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday, I’m going back to my homework.

  110. 110.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @licensed to kill time: you beat me to it! But did you notice that “Lily Coyle,” if that’s her real name, lives in Minneapolis? And we have asiangrrlMN who lives either in or near Minneapolis? And asiangrrlMN is a wonderful writer and quite capable of penning that excellent diabolic letter.

    Bottom line: There *are* no coincidences.

  111. 111.

    gnomedad

    @MikeJ:

    You can always press the stop button on the front loader and it will drain you can open the door. Best bet is to read the manual for any appliance before you actually buy it.

    I didn’t think front-loaders ever fill to the point that water would flow out if you opened the door with the drum stopped? Do they? I assume the door seals reasonably tightly, but it’s not like a submarine hatch.

  112. 112.

    Skepticat

    @lamh31: Have two Frigidaire Gallery Supreme matching washer and dryer sets (one per house). One is about eleven years old, the other six, and I’ve never had any trouble–plus they were affordable. The front-loading washer tangles clothes much less than a top-leader and does a great job at getting out all the water, so things take less time to dry. The last washer I had was a Kenmore that lasted more than thirty years, but I’m not sure that they make them like that any longer.

  113. 113.

    licensed to kill time

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I deliberately left off the Minneapolis bit to make the joke better, but…..you are right! I didn’t get the asiangrrlMN angle – hmm, curiouser and curiouser!

  114. 114.

    L. Ron Obama

    @MikeJ:

    And with a top loader you wouldn’t notice at all because they tend to not have glass lids.

    Maybe lamh31’s grandmother opens the top every couple minutes in case something has stained red.

    Seriously though, in all your years of washing laundry, have you ever caught a pen leaking while it’s happening? No, you catch it when the damage is already done. Maybe with a front-loader you’d even notice the water is off-color mid-cycle. I think it would still be too late anyway.

    At least with a front-loader I might have noticed through the glass that I washed my cell phone. Amazingly it still works after a 45-minute dip.

  115. 115.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @licensed to kill time #110

    On second thought, it can’t possibly be by asiangrrlMN. There’s not a “fuck” to be found.

  116. 116.

    Yutsano

    @SiubhanDuinne: Keep in mind, though, that what we are seeing is edited for those with more delicate sensibilities. The lack of a fuck doesn’t automatically exclude its presence in the original text. Plus she is just devilish enough to do something like that, although she’s leave an Easter egg in there somewhere so she could be identified as the true author.

  120. 120.

    fraught

    Reading this thread fast, I’m getting that John’s having pen*is reduction surgery next week but is now washing Lily and Tunch in a top-loader because the right-wing is shattered. Oh.

  121. 121.

    And Another Thing...

    Front loaders are MUCH kinder to your clothes than top loaders. Your clothes will last longer and look better. I had a front loader where I tried to felt a wool project I had knitted. It took hours and hours. My current top loader makes felt…in about 5 minutes. My front loading washer could be stopped mid-cycle.

    My Dad maintains that in the navy ship laundries there was a machine that ripped the buttons off your shirts and fired them through your skivvies (Navy lingo for underwear). heh.

  122. 122.

    licensed to kill time

    @SiubhanDuinne: @Yutsano:

    Heh heh, you guys are crafty. asiangrrlMN will be pissed that her secret may have been revealed!

    Pitchforks and deviled Easter eggs, washing machines and the absence of the word fuck as a proof, injured man in a strange contraption blogging left-handed with a cat on his head – this blog has it all.

  126. 126.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: Yeah, I haz a happy. Tunchie-Wunchie! And now you’re just fucking cracking me up. Heh. Deviled Easter egg. Love it!

    And, you guys, I really wish I had wrote that letter to the editor because it fucking rocks! Goddamn, but it was a thing of beauty. Thanks for the compliments, guys! I appreciate it.

    @KDP: Awwww, cute puppeh!

    Cole, I hope you’re still resting.

  127. 127.

    Skepticat

    @And Another Thing…: A machine is much more efficient than the little person my laundry used to keep in the back room with a hammer to smash the buttons on my shirts. At least the skivvies stayed at home, safe from his depredations.

    This is a pretty eclectic blog. Thank goodness.

  129. 129.

    Zuzu's Petals

    Okay, a cat related question.

    My 18 yr old cat bit the back of my hand this morning as I was petting him. No reason, just bit me … hard.

    I now have two puncture marks surrounded by a bruised, swollen area, and can’t make a fist without it hurting.

    He’s had all his shots so I’m not too worried. On the other hand (so to speak), should I be worried … ?

  131. 131.

    tesslibrarian

    Cat bites will definitely require antibiotics, and it sounds like you are starting to get an infection already.

    You should see your doctor on Monday. In the mean time, use alcohol to disinfect the spots, and try soaking your hand in warm epsom salts. When my kitty’s claw got stuck in my hand while pilling her once, the epsom salts made the spot much more comfortable until I could see my GP. You’ll also want to cover it with neosporin and a breathable bandage.

  132. 132.

    KDP

    @Zuzu’s Petals: Yes, you should definitely be worried. Any animal bite is dangerous, but because cat bites create puncture wounds they are more likely to become infected.

    Many years ago, my Siamese cat bit me on the hand. I thought nothing of it and put antibiotic ointment on it. Three days later, my hand had doubled in size and a broad red path of infection was running up my arm.

    Just a couple of years ago, on a Friday, my mother-in-law’s dog snapped at me when I hugged Mom from behind while she was holding the dog. Chi-chi had been abused before rescue and is very woman-shy. Her tooth barely broke the skin of my nose. I washed it out and applied Neosporin. By Monday, my nose and eye sockets were inflamed and swelling. After the long drive home from Oregon, I saw my doctor the following day. I spent the next 10 days getting IV antibiotics every 3 days. My doctor said that people underestimate the urgency of treating animal bites and often wait too long to see a doctor.

    I hope that you are in a position to seek medical care without its causing an undue economic burden on you.

  133. 133.

    Zuzu's Petals

    Thanks to all for the advice.

    I might put a call in to my primary care physician’s urgent care service. Maybe even an ER visit if it worsens…ugh.

    Fortunately, I have good coverage.

  134. 134.

    KDP

    @Zuzu’s Petals: Yes, you should definitely be worried. Any animal bite is dangerous, but because cat bites create puncture wounds they are more likely to become infected.

    Many years ago, my Siamese cat bit me on the hand. I thought nothing of it and put antibiotic ointment on it. Three days later, my hand had doubled in size and a broad red path of infection was running up my arm. Required a trip to the ER and a bunch of antibiotics.

    Just a couple of years ago, on a Friday, my mother-in-law’s dog snapped at me when I hugged Mom from behind while she was holding the dog. Chi-chi had been abused before rescue and is very woman-shy. Her tooth barely broke the skin of my nose. I washed it out and applied Neosporin. By Monday, my nose and eye sockets were inflamed and swelling. After the long drive home from Oregon, I saw my doctor the following day. I spent the next 10 days getting IV antibiotics every 3 days. My doctor said that people underestimate the urgency of treating animal bites and often wait too long to see a doctor.

    I hope that you are in a position to seek medical care without its causing an undue economic burden on you.

    I apologize in advance if this went in twice. Some weird sloppy sequences of keystrokes (CTrl and something with my arrow keys next to the right side Ctrl key) put me back into initial edit instead of AJAX edit.

  136. 136.

    Darryl

    I don’t know if the repair guy was a crank or not, but it sure seems like there isn’t much made today built for durability as much as price/profit. Maybe I’m just as cranky as he is.

    In general, “x isn’t as good as back in the good old days” arguments are crap. And there are some areas, such as cars, where modern models are generally waaay more reliable than older models. But it seems like I’ve heard stories about consumer appliances such as Kitchen Aid mixers going down in quality, as shortsighted companies cut every corner to get next quarter’s bonus. And people don’t have much way of knowing how much longer the $11 Crapco toaster will last than the $15 Junkco model, but they do know it’s $4 cheaper, so that pushes price and quality down. I wonder which categories of items have gotten distinctly worse.

    “Anything sold at Wal-Mart” is my first-order suggestion of an answer.

  137. 137.

    Darryl

    Ha! I forgot to close the blockquote tab after the first paragraph, but the malfunctioning blockquote software malfunctioned and so it came out right.

  139. 139.

    Darryl

    January 16th, 2010 at 5:59 pm Reply to this comment
    Zuzu’s Petals
    Okay, a cat related question.
    My 18 yr old cat bit the back of my hand this morning as I was petting him. No reason, just bit me … hard.

    Sounds like a good time to whip up Tacos Gatos.

  140. 140.

    Zuzu's Petals

    Update: On my way to pick up the antibiotics the doc just prescribed.

    Another successful BJ intervention…thanks guys !

  142. 142.

    Lesley

    This looks like a Simon Says moment between Tunch and Lily (with Tunch role modeling the favoured sleep position.)

    After reading innumerable racists on a thread about Haiti, I needed that image.

  146. 146.

    Zuzu's Petals

    @SGEW:

    He’s fine … just old and sometimes crotchety. Right now he’s giving me that “who me?” look.

  147. 147.

    SGEW

    @Zuzu’s Petals: Funny enough, mai own kitteh is giving me that very same look at this very moment.

    And she hasn’t even done anything, as far as I know! Now I have to go check to see what damage she’s inflicted on my possessions.

  148. 148.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @lamh31:

    Top loaders are pretty much worse than useless, basically what they do is swish clothes around in dirty water ( a quote from my Aunt who would immediately wash all her clothes that were washed in the US on return to the UK). I know the US has resisted the idea of front loaders for many a year (I have no idea why) and Rush Limbaugh is one of the top loader champions “Why should we have to bend down to put our laundry in the machine just cause the europeans do” (and if you think that quote is a spoof then you are sadly mistaken), Front loaders are more efficient, clean clothes better, use less water, use less detergent and are basically the bees knees. Fridgidaire (spelling sorry) have a nice washer and dryer pair that stack on top of each other (they are made that way) it is ideal for folks with not alot of space. I have never understood the entire washer and dryer the size of a small nuclear device thing in the US. My mum has this absolutely brilliant thing, it is a washer AND a dryer, you throw the clothes in, hit the button, and they come out clean and dry. I think there are a few of them over here in the US, they are expensive but if my Mum is a good judge they are worth it.

    http://www.lgwasherdryer.com/combos/wm3431hw.htm

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